Chapter 429
The End – Epilogue
A few years later.
After five years of planning and development, the Hongyun Mountain National Forest Scenic Area has finally been officially opened to tourists.
The once poor and backward Xiahe Village in Honghe Township has seen its employment and development boosted by the development of this key tourist attraction in recent years.
The cement road was built from the town all the way to the village.
Most of the villagers in Xiahe Village have become workers at nearby development sites, earning several times more than they would have earned farming in a year.
It not only improved the living conditions of the family, but also allowed many children who would otherwise have dropped out of school to work to attend better schools.
The good deeds of Lei Tingjun and Ji Wanmei have brought about profound and significant changes to the local people.
By then, it was 2004.
With the country's economy booming, people's living standards have gradually improved, and cities have taken on a brand-new look.
Wherever you go, you can see smiles on people's faces and hope for the future in their eyes.
At that time, Ji Wanmei and Lei Tingjun, who already had a son and a daughter and were successful in their careers, took their two children back to Lei Tingjun's hometown to experience the tourist routes built in the Hongyun Mountain Forest Park.
Lei Tingjun has devoted an unprecedented amount of effort, time, and energy to this project.
Two thousand years ago, when it was still difficult to introduce large-scale tourist equipment into the mountains, he spent a lot of money to introduce cable car mountaineering technology.
They also hired local villagers to build a stone staircase from the bottom to the top of Hongyun Mountain.
Visitors can not only take the cable car to enjoy panoramic views of the magnificent Hongyun Mountain, but also experience the thrill of climbing through the primeval forest.
The cable car's terminus is located at a viewing platform on the mountaintop.
Below the viewing platform, there is a natural waterfall, and the water flowing down the waterfall gathers into a clear blue lake.
At the bottom of the lake, due to the accumulation of sediment over a long period of time, there are many colorful pebbles.
Under the sunlight, the stones shone with a dazzling, rainbow-like brilliance.
The banks of the river are covered with unidentified wildflowers and grasses. If you're lucky, you might even spot wild deer and birds. Squirrels dart swiftly through the branches, and gray rabbits hide among the weeds.
And in those trees, wild monkeys can be seen everywhere, climbing in groups.
The original natural scenery has not been damaged by the development of this tourist attraction.
Lei Tingjun hired specialized animal experts to care for these wild animals in the forest park, which not only better protects the ecology but also allows visitors to experience a 100% close connection with nature.
Ji Wanmei and Lei Tingjun's youngest son had grown up in the city since birth and had never been to such a place close to nature, like a primeval forest.
The youngest son's full name is Lei Mingyu.
The character "瑜" (yú) is derived from the idea that a gentleman is upright, gentle, and as warm as jade.
There is another layer of meaning, because the older sister is named Mingzhu and the younger brother is named Mingyu. Both siblings are the treasures in their parents' hearts, meaning as precious as pearls and jade.
Xiao Mingyu is three and a half years old this year, which is the most adorable age when she is just beginning to understand things but not quite.
His older sister, Lei Mingzhu, is five years older than him. She is already over eight years old this year, and the little girl has grown into a bright and intelligent young woman. In front of her younger brother, she is already a proper and sensible older sister.
A black sedan was driving on a country road.
Inside the car, Lei Mingzhu held her younger brother's hand and said to him, "We're about to arrive at Dad's hometown. It used to be where our grandparents and great-grandmother lived. It's so beautiful."
Lei Mingyu actually came back once with his parents and sister when he was a little over one year old, but at that time, he didn't know anything at all.
However, through the car window, three-and-a-half-year-old Lei Mingyu looked curiously at the rolling mountains and golden rice fields outside, feeling a natural sense of closeness.
So this is where Dad grew up, he thought.
"Sister, have you ever come back with Mom and Dad before?" the younger brother asked his sister, tilting his head in a childish voice.
Lei Mingzhu proudly raised her head and said, "Of course, every year during the Spring Festival, my parents would bring me back to our hometown to burn incense for my grandparents and great-grandmother."
"Let me tell you, there are lots and lots of mushrooms on the mountains back home, as well as rabbits and squirrels. They're smarter than the ones you see in the zoo, and they'll even snatch food from people's hands. But don't worry, little brother, I'll take you to see them. Don't be scared, I'll protect you!"
Lei Mingyu is very quiet and pretty, and her personality is not like her older sister's. She was a leader among children since she was a child.
But he is curious about everything, likes to ask questions, and enjoys thinking for himself.
Lei Mingyu said, "Those little animals must know that humans are their friends."
Ji Wanmei and Lei Tingjun sat in the front, listening to the children's conversation, and smiled at each other.
The car slowly arrived at Xiahe Village.
Today, the lives of the villagers in Xiahe Village have also improved significantly.
Ji Wanmei remembered that ten years ago, when she returned here with Lei Tingjun, the children in the village didn't even have a complete set of clothes. They were all wearing patched and old clothes that exposed their ankles and necks.
Now, Ji Wanmei sees that Xiahe Village, which used to be poor and backward, has expanded.
Because a tourist attraction server and entrance were built at the foot of the mountain after the land was contracted out, the surrounding villages were naturally transformed into shops selling local specialties, food stalls, and accommodations for tourists.
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